For the past nine years, Mike, my husband and the Beer Scientist here @THFB, has delved deeper and deeper into the world of homebrewing, and the process of connecting with the past and embracing the simplest joys and experiences of human existence has introduced and reinforced (sometimes unexpected!) values in our life. Among the most important, the value for thrift has risen to a high place on the list.

I know, I know: in our culture of ready consumption and convenience, the practice of thrift has quickly disappeared from the landscape, even taking on a pretty negative nuance. But when I say “thrift,” I don’t mean to evoke images of cheapness or hoarding. I mean it in the sense that Wendell Berry uses in The Unsettling of America: “Thrift was [before the advent of the industrial economy] a complex standard requiring skill, intelligence, and moral character…” (page 115). So, I mean thrift in the sense of using creative and even inventive solutions to avoid being wasteful and making the most of one’s resources. And this creativity and inventiveness, I think, is actually quite consistent with the qualities it requires to (home)brew well.

Whether we have practiced homebrewing thrift out of necessity or by choice, we have experienced a certain satisfaction and personal pride in coming up with imaginative solutions for conserving, preserving, and saving. I wanted to share a few of those ideas with the hope that they might help you to save a penny or get more out of some obvious and not so obvious resources for brewing. This article is the first in a (hopefully long) series to explore “Thrifty Homebrewing.”

With Mike brewing nearly four out of every eight weekends on average (four successive weekends > wait for empty carboys > repeat), we throw away a lot of grains. Since we don’t have too high a volume, it’s not worth the time, gas, etc., to find a place to bring the grains for feed. However, we hate to see so much waste. One way we’ve been able to use at least some of the extra is by making spent grain bread, which is delicious! (One of my friends also makes Spent Grain Doggy Biscuits for her pups.) We make bread when the grains are fresh on the day of brewing, but we have also started dividing grains into three-cup measurements and freezing them in containers (yes, this involves baking and giving away a lot of bread!).

Below is a recipe I have modified from “Jasmine’s Spent Grain Bread” from the blog Beer at Joe’s.

Basic Spent Beer Grain Bread (a.k.a. The Reinhardt Spent Grain Brot):

• 2 c bread flour (King Arthur’s is great for the gluten structure) or all-purpose flour
• 2 c whole wheat flour  (you can adjust the ratio of the two flours, although the wheat flour should be no more than 50% of the total four cups)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2-3 tsp yeast (use a lesser amount for a more dense bread; more for a lighter bread; be aware that the gluten content of the overall bread will also affect the fluffiness, so you will want to take into account your choice of ingredients and density preference)
• ¼ warm water (110-115°F) for proofing the yeast
• ½ -¾ c milk (the higher end if your grains are relatively dry and you don’t use any of the wet forms of syrup)
• 3 c spent grain (drained but damp)
• ¼ c sugar, (real) maple syrup, honey, molasses, malt syrup, or a combination
• ¼ c butter or oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2-4 tbsp vital wheat gluten, optional (no gluten if you use the resting technique below; 1-3 tbsp if you don’t use the technique but use bread flour; 3-4 tbsp if you use all-purpose flour)
• Equipment I use: food processor, KitchenAid mixer with a dough hook; neither is a necessity.

1. Proof the yeast.

2. Measure out the flours in a large bowl and mix them together (I use a whisk). Set aside.

3. Place the grains and milk in a food processor and puree. You may have to do this in two batches depending on your food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you can use the grains whole, although I have found the scratchiness of the husk to be unpleasant if I don’t process the grains.

4. Transfer the grains and milk to the mixer bowl and stir together all of the ingredients except the flours.

5. Slowly add the flours, cup by cup.

Optional resting technique: If you like a lighter, fluffier loaf, you can use the following technique (compliments of the Beer Scientist, who has mastered the art of pizza dough using this very technique) in order to improve the gluten structure of your bread. After you have added three cups of the (King Arthur bread) flour, let the dough rest on the counter for about twenty minutes. Then add the remaining cup of flour and continue with the next steps.

6. If the dough is too sticky, you may need to add more flour. When the ingredients have been incorporated (hope you have the KitchenAid for this!), knead the dough until it is smooth for 5 minutes with the mixer or 10 minutes by hand.

In terms of blending the ingredients, Mike has an easier time with this (probably because he uses the above gluten technique!), but I usually finish incorporating the flour in the early part of kneading. As far as the wetness/stickiness of the dough, I have never made the bread without having to add more flour, so I recommend keeping some close at hand.

7. After needing, shape the dough into a ball and place it in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover it with a towel and let it rest in a warm place for 60-90 minutes—until the dough has doubled in size.

8. Punch down the dough and divide it into 2-3 loaves, depending how large you want your bread. Shape these into loaves and place them in lightly greased bread pans or on a cookie sheet. (You may score the tops of the loaves.) Re-cover with a towel and let the dough rise again until doubled, about sixty more minutes.

9. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake for about forty minutes. It may take a little longer if you only make two loaves. The bread will be nice and golden on top and sound hollow when you knock on the baked loaf.

10. After baking, let the bread cool for thirty minutes on a cooling rack. This is important as the bread will finish cooking during this time, so don’t cut into it too soon!

Enjoy!

A final note: This is a stiff dough, and I absolutely do not recommend using a bread machine; I haven’t tried it, but I would anticipate disastrous results.

Are some beers overrated?

Nate wrote a great post about the topic where he says “Yes.”

I agree.

He explains that certain beers are highly rated because a large group of people already deemed them superior, and it is difficult to go against the grain. I made a cameo appearance in the post because of a twitter comment to Nate about HopSlam being rated higher because it is scarce.

I’d like to follow up that comment up with a more in-depth discussion about about beer and scarcity. We can gain insight from the guy who understands purchasing behavior better than anyone else, Dr. Robert Cialdini.

Influence

When I read Robert Cialdini’s book Influence, a few things just clicked. It is a psychology book about persuasion and the triggers that compel us to make a purchase.

Personally, it was one of those “aha!” books that pulled back the veil on things I saw in everyday life, but never knew the mechanisms behind them.

Cialdini identifies 6 major triggers that compel us to say “yes”:

1. Reciprocation
2. Commitment and Consistency
3. Social Proof
4. Liking
5. Authority
6. Scarcity

We could talk at length about each one, but let’s talk about scarcity since it sparked this discussion.

Cialdini sums up the scarcity principle by stating, “People assign more value to opportunities when they are less available.” Now most people would say “duh” to that, but they would be surprised by how often the principle influences their behavior and they don’t even realize it.

Apart from the obvious signals like “2 Hour-Sale” and “Everything Must Go”, the book gives two examples that I think are especially interesting where the scarcity concept isn’t so blatant.

Example 1

Cialdini’s brother Richard sold cars in college but did so in a pretty unusual (but clever) way. He would buy used cars through newspaper ads at a fairly low price and then sell them back through the newspaper at a higher price for a profit. The clever part is the way he went about making the sale.

Say Richard advertised a car and got 3 responses. Naturally, the 3 prospective buyers would want to come inspect the car.

But here’s the unusual part – Richard would schedule their appointments at the same time.

The first person would do the typical walk around the car, kicking the tires and pointing out blemishes. In general he wouldn’t be completely thrilled about the car. Until the second person showed up…

The situation changed radically when buyer #2 arrived because the availabilty of the car suddenly became limited. A sense of rivalry formed between the two buyers. From the book:

“Richard claims it was possible to watch the agitation grow on the first buyers face. His leisurely assessment of the car’s pros and cons had suddenly become a now-or-never, limited-time-only rush to a decision over a contested resource.”

Cialdini further describes how if the arrival of buyer #2 wasn’t enough to seal the deal, when buyer #3 showed up the first buyer almost always decided to purchase immediately.

Example 2

This study involved tasting cookies and rating them. From the book:

“Participants in a consumer preference study were given a chocolate chip cookie from a jar and asked to taste and rate its quality. For half of the raters, the jar contained ten cookies; for the other half, it contained just two. As we might expect from the scarcity principle, when the cookie was one of only two available, it was rated as more desirable to eat in the future, more attractive as a consumer item, and more costly than the identical cookie in abundant supply.”

Here is where things get more interesting. There was a variation in the study where some participants were first given a jar of 10 cookies that was replaced with a jar of 2 cookies. Describing the technique:

“Certain participants were told that some of their cookies had to be given away to other raters in order to supply the demand for cookies in the study. Another set of participants was told that the number of cookies had to be reduced because the researcher had simply made a mistake and given them the wrong jar initially. The results showed that those whose cookies became scarce through the process of social demand liked the cookies significantly more than did those whose cookies became scarce by mistake.”

Ok but here’s the surprising part. Even though the scarce cookies were rated more desirable, they were not rated as better tasting. It seems value of the cookies was in the possession of them and not in the experience.

I admit this sort of throws a wrench into my theory about beer ratings, but I don’t think this one study entirely debunks the idea. For example, the book says the participants “liked the (scarcer) cookies significantly more” than the less scarce cookies.

Doesn’t liking a beer more increase the rating you give it?

The Bottom Line

So let me be blunt and ask the question: do beers that are less available get rated higher just because they are scarce?

I say yes.

The scarcity effect comes into effect with many beers on the market: HopSlam, Pliny the Younger, and Westvleteren 12 for example. These are all beers that are limited in supply and are among the top rated beers in the world. I’m not saying they aren’t great beers, because I’m sure they are (I’ve only had HopSlam of the 3), but I have to believe that at least a part of their high rankings are due to the cookie jar effect. A fudge factor if you will.

It’s important to note that I’m not saying this effect is good or bad, it is simply part of being human. However, there are times when the influence of the scarcity effect is legitimate, such as when a limited supply of beer is produced, and there are times when it is manipulative, such as the car example.

Either way, when we are evaluating something on its merits alone we should try to leave psychological forces out of it (difficult, but possible). Cialdini advises us to realize when we respond desirably to a product for reasons other than its own utility. His words on defense:

“Panicky, feverish reactions have no place in wise compliance decisions. We need to calm ourselves and regain a rational perspective.”

What do you think? Does scarcity lead to inflated beer ratings?

Guest Post: Don from Beer and Whiskey Bros. Please visit and subscribe to their site!!!!  Thanks again from our beer brothers!!!!

I chose to drink a Black Cauldron Imperial Stout from Grand Teton Brewing in Victor, Idaho.

It is a small brewery that makes some pretty solid brews.  They just released their Lost Continent Double IPA and have a lineup of really good brews, so I thought I would give this a try.

The Pour

Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera with me so I have no picture of the pour, but suffice it to say it was black like an imperial stout, and had about a one finger milk chocolate brown head.  It was really a great color, and I hoped that the brew would be full of chocolatey and coffee goodness.

The Nose

This brew was very understated with the hoppiness of the imperial part dominating the nose.  It smelled grassy and perhaps a bit piney.  I also could smell a hefty backbone of malt and a touch of cocoa along with a grainy nuttiness that probably smelled a bit like coffee.

The Taste

There was a lot going on in this brew.  It had a kind of bitter chocolate flavor with some coffee nuttiness that was rounded out on the back end with some hop bite.  I didn’t have the heavy malt flavor that you might expect, not a hint of licorice here, but it was a mellow base that the malt provided from which all the flavors swirled around.  The mouthfeel was light, but not watery and was very drinkable.  It kept asking me to drink it.  So I obliged all the way until it was gone.

Overall

This is a very good, solid effort from a brewery in my home state.  As I learn more about beer, and I have lived in Idaho for a long time now, I realize that many of the hops and grains are grown locally in the state that make some great beer, and a lot of Budweiser too.  I guess I can’t control what the brewer does once he buys the grain.  Oh well this was a very good effort from the Grand Teton Brewery, and who knows, Augie Bush flys into and out of this region about 10 times a year, maybe someday he will have one of these great local brews and decide to make better Bud too.

-Don

Let me first start off by saying that I did not buy this beer. It was a birthday gift as a part of a bunch of singles I was given by my sister-in-law. There, at least I think my man card is safe with that explanation. I wasn’t real excited about this brew, and I actually gave a lot of brews away that I received, because so many of them were very light lagers as part of some sort of international 10 pack that was put together by Cost Plus World Market. But this one looked at least a little interesting so I figured I would give it a try. Since I had been hanging on to it for about 6 months, it seemed that this particular “Sip with Us Saturday” would be the ideal time to crack it open and give it a try.

So to review like you do at THFB…

The Pour

It poured a golden orange with a pretty serious head on it, about two fingers when the photo was snapped, and it was almost a pure white color and had good retention and a lot of lacing from it left on the glass. Not overly complex but what do I expect for a Lager.

The Nose

Wow! The bottle says this is a lager with a Kiss of strawberry flavor. Well, you couldn’t tell it was just a kiss from the nose, this was more like heavy petting and foreplay. It actually smelled a lot like the shampoo my sister used to buy in the seventies. With a sickeningly sweet aroma of strawberry jam. I was leery. But I decided to carry on with the tasting and the review.

The Flavor

Well, you might expect what I’m going to say, but here goes. OK as for that Kiss of flavor, I’m sorry, this was full on intercourse! The strawberry flavor was so pronounced it was hard to tell I was drinking beer. The smell just enveloped my olfactory senses, and the flavor was almost a foregone conclusion. It was sweet like strawberry compote and the lager didn’t do anything to save the day. It was almost like someone put strawberry flavoring into a Budweiser, but I would have rather had a Budweiser. This stuff was vile and repulsive. Pete’s Wicked Strawberry Blonde Lager does for beer what Bartles and James did for Wine! This was a 12 ounce bottle and I drank about half of it before I couldn’t make myself drink any more. I kept trying it to see if there was something I was missing, some redeeming quality. I drank it slow, I drank it fast, I drank it cold, I drank it…Guulahh, warm. Nothing helped. I poured it out, and that was probably a mean thing to do to my poor sink.

Conclusion

Run away! Never, ever, ever, EVER buy this beer! I was trying to figure out who was their target audience, and near as I can tell it is toddlers, tweens, and teens. I suppose if you wanted to get a little kid into beer (not that anyone would ever want to do that) this would be the beer. Nuff Said!

Beer and Whiskey Bros.

Intro: You are probably familiar with the beer scientist, my bro Mike, but this is my official debut on Thank Heaven for Beer as Rich, the Beer Connoisseur. As most of you know, Mike left cold, cloudy Indiana for warm, sunny California. I am still in the frigid Midwest, but with my location, I have access to local breweries and their seasonal releases. One of these local goodies is Upland Brewery, out of Bloomington, IN. I am only a short trip away, so when Mike told me to check out their seasonal release of Teddy Bear Kisses Imperial Stout, I made it a point to grab a growler (they only sell glasses at the brewery, NOT this time). Teddy Bear Kisses? Sounds like a chocolaty gift you would give a significant other around Valentines Day, doesn’t it? Well, it’s not Valentine’s Day, nor a chocolaty gift I handed out. It is a sweet Imperial Stout that I had a chance to check out and share with you.

Pour: When I first poured the Teddy Bear Kisses into my glasses, I instantly noticed a dark, murky color. This beer is far from transparent. I was a bit surprised the beer wasn’t that thick in consistency and didn’t temporarily stain my glass, like other Imperial Stouts do. This beer resembled motor oil that hadn’t been changed in about 50,000 miles from an old clunker. The head was beige in color, similar to sand, and didn’t stick around too long.

Nose:  Teddy Bear Kisses has a lot going on. The very first thing I picked up on was the sweet smell of molasses. To me, this was by FAR the most prevalent smell. Also, the smell of alcohol was quite present at first sniff. Another interesting note on the nose was a fruit of some sort. I want to say the fruit was similar to that of a cherry. Of course, I picked up on the coffee and cocoa undertones. Overall, Upland’s Teddy Bear Kisses was pleasing on the nose.

Taste:  This is my favorite part of the review! Even though Teddy Bear Kisses wasn’t as thick as most Imperial Stouts I’ve had, it still had the thickness that let’s you know you are drinking a full, rich beer. The molasses that was present on the nose was just as noticeable on the tongue and provided a sweet, smoky flavor. Alcohol? Definitely. Alcohol was definitely incorporated in the taste. The slight hint of fruit came back full circle along with malty, coffee and cocoa flavors. Another taste I picked up was a bready aftertaste. With each sip, it felt like I had eaten some full-grain bread. Bitterness? I would say it was in the middle of the road. The beer’s finish wasn’t too dry and didn’t leave me thirsty after a drink.

Overall Thoughts:  Overall, I think Upland’s Teddy Bear Kisses is an alright beer. It’s hard to identify exactly what was missing, but I can say that there were some things a bit too overwhelming. I think the taste of molasses (sweet/sour/smoky) was way overbearing and the presence of the alcohol took away from other flavors coming through. I would definitely get it again if I stopped at Upland to grab a bit to eat, but I wouldn’t search Indiana high and low to find it. I hope you have found this review helpful and I look forward to making another appearance in the near future.

Rich’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¼☆ 

Among other Imperial Stouts: ★★★☆☆ 

Guest Beer Review by Andrea, wife of the Beer Scientist

Let me begin by saying that I’m nuts about nuts (clarification: I want to unequivocally declare that I am referring to food here).  Whether that’s raw, whole almonds; peanut butter; Nutella; or brown rice green tea with its nutty undertones–if it’s got that nutty quality, you can bet I’ll love it.

So it should come as no surprise that I positively enjoy Newcastle’s “One and Only” Ale, often referred to as a Nut Brown Ale (or “Dog” by imbibers closer to home). And here is why:

The Pour: Characteristic of a brown ale, Newcastle’s color definitely falls between the pale ale and porter range with its copper-red body. The active, tiny bubbles from the carbonation quickly dissipated the creamy, white head but also seemed to maintain a thin, white rim along the edge of the glass—foam that reformed every time the brew swished around. This also contributed to creating some lovely, white lacing.

The Nose: The Brown Ale was minimal on the nose, which may have been compounded by the fact that the beer was fairly cold after a few days in the fridge. About all I picked up were alcohol dryness, slight metallic qualities, and a light maltiness. Mike also helped me recognize the scents of a grapish yeast strain.

The Taste: Most memorably, Newcastle’s Brown Ale finished with a very nutty (closest to hazelnut?) aftertaste. It retained those slight metallic qualities that were present on the nose, as well as some bitterness in the middle of the taste that seemed to be emphasized by the dense carbonation.

Overall, I would describe the beer as simple and straightforward. A good California metaphor might be that drinking Newcastle’s Brown Ale is like ordering the Hamburger Combo at In-N-Out rather than the 4×4 or Animal Style burger—in other words, just the basics. Although it lacks a range of complexity, it is well-balanced with some nice sweetness and the nuttiness that I so love. I definitely recommend enjoying it just chilled so as not to miss the subtleties.

Oh, and an added bonus: if you’re a resident of the UK, Channel Islands, or Isle of Man (shout out to Mel and Christine!), you can get a sweet Newcastle schooner glass for free (well, as free as free is these days, a.k.a., with tokens from the promotional 4-packs). Details at http://www.newcastlebrownale.co.uk/.

Andrea’s Rating

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★☆☆ 

Among other Brown Ales: ★★★☆☆ 

It’s that time of year, my friends. Summer is coming to a close and Fall is upon us. The days are getting shorter, the propane in the BBQ grille is getting lower, and the beer offerings by brewers are getting darker. Oktoberfest is just around the corner …

In that spirit, many breweries release seasonal beers that are available only for a limited time frame. Pyramid’s Juggernaut – an American Red Ale – is a “Fall seasonal” beer that is only offered during the months of August and September. Juggernaut melds caramel malts and two varieties of northwest hops.

What is a “juggernaut?” It’s a “massive, inexorable force that crushes everything in its way.” At 5.6% ABV, this Juggernaut is a bit tame as far as its name is concerned. Let’s just see what’s lurking inside the 12-ounce bottle. (The beer is also available in a 22-ounce bomber.)

The Pour:

Ah … this is a very pretty beer. Juggernaut pours with a deep, rich, red body. A two-finger thick, eggshell-white head gets its foam fuel from a constant stream of medium-sized bubbles. (Take your time with the pour as the carbonation in this beer could produce a foam fest.) There’s also a wee bit of lacing left behind after each sip.

The Aroma:

Juggernaut is built on a malt foundation of 2 Row, Carared, C-120, Carafa II, and roasted barley that’s bolstered by Simcoe and Cascade hops. Make no mistake: this is a Pacific Northwest brew. As soon as you pop the cap, the ever cliché citrus, grapefruit and pine tones are present, as well as some malt sweetness.

The Taste:

Ready. Set. Sip. My taste buds confirmed the presence of grapefruit, pine nuts, and maybe even a smidgeon of guava. Mid sip, caramel malts made an appearance — and then finally, a malty, pine-like spice lingered momentarily post-sip. Despite the hop presence, Juggernaut is fairly balanced, however, at 45 out of a possible 100 IBUs (International Bitterness Units).

Overall Thoughts:

In a subtle way, Juggernaut reminds me of a former “Sip with Us Saturday” beer: Stone Brewing Co’s 13th Anniversary Ale. If you’ve tried the Stone 13th, imagine a lighter beer version of it. Granted, Stone’s is an Imperial Double Red, so one would expect a bolder flavor. Juggernaut has a very similar taste profile, but it lacks the body and stickiness from tons of citrus/pine-hop infusion. (Come to think of it, Stone should have named their beer “Juggernaut.”)

Juggernaut is a respectable red ale that is a good warm up for transitioning from lighter, Summer-style beers to the darker, thicker styles of Winter. It has enough body and hop presence to break in your palette slowly to the bolder flavors of bigger, bad-weather beers, while it is light enough to still be somewhat “sessionable.”

Before I wrap up and send the bottle to the RECYCLE bin, allow me to say “thanks” to Nate and Mike for allowing me to do this guest beer review. Nate: thanks for calling me a fellow “Beer Geek” in your last “Sip with Us Saturday” post. I’m not sure I’ve attained such status yet, but the fact that I just bought my first bottle of $18 beer yesterday hints that I may be very close to succumbing to the coveted title.

Cheers, guys!

Scotts Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★½☆ 

MIKE LOVES BEER

*Name* – Old Stock Ale
*Country* – United States
*Type* – Old Ale

*Appearance* – Poured a clear, deep ruby red color with a small head that was gone very quickly.

*Smell* – A very complex nose here while you get big whiffs of alcohol you also pick up sweet malt smells of raisins, caramel and a slight bit of granny smith apple I was getting.

*Taste* – It’s a very thick and syrupy feel that starts off with those sweet malt flavors up front then you are hit with a big alcohol bite at the end and it lingers for a few seconds afterward.

I said to myself that I had to go back and try some things I had awhile ago and see if my taste has matured any. I really didn’t like this when I first tried it and I don’t even think I finished the beer. This time around I made it through and enjoyed it a little bit but the alcohol burn was just to overwhelming at the end. This is especially true the more the beer warms up.

*Overall Grade* – C-

THANK HEAVEN FOR BEER (NATE)

The Pour:

Upon opening two bottles of 2008 Old Stock(one for me and my good buddy), a strange anomoly occurred.  After sitting for a few seconds before pouring, foam started poking out of the neck of the bottle.  Did North coast over carbonate?  Pours a deep, almost red wine-like, mahogany.  For a big beer, it is exceptionally clear.  Thin bubbles from the center of the glass struggle to find the surface.  This stuff is going to be thick and sticky!  Despite the foam monster I saw after prying the cap off, there is minimal head.  Perhaps an inch of off white, slightly green in color, sticky foam, that vanished quickly leaving behind pretty lacing.

The Aroma:

Big sweet malt flavors bombard the nose at first smell.  Typical to style are toffee and caramel notes.  The toasted malt lends to burnt sugar aroma.  Sweet fruit smells are present.  I picked up on candy/maraschino cherries, candied apples, raisins, and a bit of pepper.  There is a liquor quality to this, reminiscent of vodka, maybe even brandy.

The Taste:

The thick sweet liquid is overwhelmingly malty.  The toasted quality the malt is very apparent up front, giving this beer a slight graham cracker flavor.   Sweet apples, a little grape quality, and whole bunch of caramel flavors tingle the tongue.  Towards the back of the tongue a mild hop flavor begins to balance sweetness of the beer.  As the beer slides down the throat, I realize this beer is still young, as the hot alcohol finish is more pronounced than other beers I’ve had boasting a 12.5% ABV.  This is not to be taken negatively.  In fact, it aides in balancing the beer.  The mouth-feel is gorgeous.  Smooth and creamy, with greater than expected fizziness.

Overall:

I think this is a great beer, but needs to sit in my cellar an mellow for a bit longer.  The malt punch needs to be emphasized while the alcoholic finish needs to obscure, and only time will tell the greatness of the beer.  I am willing to bet that in a year or two, after drinking another bottle, this beer will gain a bit.

Nate’s Rating:

To accommodate Mike‘s rating system, I’m forgoing the star system on this post:

I give Old Stock Ale a B+

Mike:  C-

Nate:  B+

Packaging

For my shipping, I buy the Duck brand bubble wrap at Wal-Mart for $10-$11. It’s 100 square feet, perforated every 12”, and I wrap each bottle with one sheet and tape it in the middle. When I have a 22 oz or 750 ml bottle, I use two sheets, one for the bottom half and one for the top. I typically fold the loose ends at the top and bottom and secure them with tape. I buy boxes at Office Depot in the $2-$4 range.

I’ve seen people line the ends and sides of the box with foam rubber, bubble wrap, and/or crumpled up newspaper, either will work fine. I also wedge crumpled up newspaper in between bottles so nothing moves when the box is shook. I also use the 4- and 6-pack holders to separate the beers so they’re not knocking into each other. I’ve seen people use all kinds of stuff to ship beer, but remember that you’re liable if anything breaks, so it’s in your best interest to pack securely.

Shipping

Now for a little legal disclaimer: shipping beer may or may not be illegal. It is a violation of the terms of service for both UPS and FedEx, and it has been claimed that it is illegal to use USPS for shipping beer. I am not a lawyer, so if you’re worried about it, you might want to call one. That being said, I don’t know of any instance of a trader being prosecuted for trading beer.

You’ll want to open an online account with Fed Ex and/or UPS. Every trader has their preference, and there are horror stories for both. I go with the one that gives me the cheapest quote, which is usually FedEx. You want to use the online shipping service with a credit card, because it’s cheaper than going to a FedEx or UPS shipping center, and there’s nobody to ask any questions about the contents of the box online. They’ll even pick up the package from your house, but I drop mine off at a nearby hub.

Most people ship out on Mondays, because they don’t want to leave the beer sitting in a warehouse over the weekend. There’s no climate control in the trucks or the warehouses, so this argument is debatable. Many people avoid trading in the winter due to the risk that beer can freeze, and many avoid the summer because they believe the heat will damage the beer.

In the event of a broken bottle, there are three common responses from the shipping companies:

1. Deliver the soggy box as is. This is the one I’ve seen happen the most.
2. Repackage everything in a new box and send it back to you. You can expect a letter from their legal department afterwards, warning you that shipping beer is against their terms of service.
3. Repackage everything in a new box and send it to the original destination.

In order to avoid this, people will either wrap the bottles in bubble wrap, and then put them in zip-lock baggies, or line the entire box with a contractor grade trash bag and seal it shut. I don’t bother with either, because I’ve only had one broken bottle in a package that I’ve sent, and they still delivered the package. I’ve had broken bottles in about half of the trades I’ve received, and they were still delivered as well.

Wrapping Up

Trading is a fun and rewarding hobby, with plenty of reasons NOT to do it. It’s expensive, risky (broken bottles), and time consuming, but there’s no better feeling than cracking open a beer that you’ve wanted for a long time, and having it exceed your expectations. My only recommendation is to start small and work your way up. Don’t go for the white whales right off the bat, there’s plenty of regular beer that’s worthy of your attention. You’re guaranteed to make new friends, try new beer, and have a lot of fun.

Howard’s other articles in this series:

The Suds Swap Meet (1 of 5)

Beer Value and Ettiquette (2 of 5)

Getting Started (3 of 5)

Beer It Forward (4 of 5)

BIF stands for Beer It Forward, which is just like the movie “Pay it Forward”, but with beer instead of good deeds. Sometimes they’ll allow new traders, but they usually require you have at least a little bit of trading history. The way these trades work is:

1. A user posts that they’re starting a new BIF. They will either lay out the rules, or they’ll look for other people’s input on what the rules should be. There is usually a minimum or maximum amount of beer per package, plus a theme like local beer only, >10% ABV beer only, beeradvocate.com Top 100 only, etc. Sometimes there are extras, like X number of beers and X number of cigars, or a T-shirt, or glassware, you get the idea.
2. Users sign up for the BIF by replying to the thread and asking if you can join in, or by sending a private message to the original poster.
3. A master list is compiled of all of the participants, including their user names, real names, addresses and phone numbers.
4. The person who started the BIF picks one person on the list and builds and ships a package within the constraints of the rules. You usually try to hit as many of their Wants as you can. They might give hints about where the package is going, but nobody knows for sure.
5. When that person receives the package, they pick a target from who is left on the list, and build and ship their package.
6. This continues until the last recipient gets their package, then they build and ship a package for the originator of the BIF.

All of the hops of the BIF are usually recorded on a website, so everybody can see who got what, and who’s left on the list to receive. There is also a sense of competition with these, because nobody wants to be outdone by the other participants, so the boxes keep getting bigger or loaded with more rare beer. These are the most fun for me; it’s like Christmas morning wondering if you’re the next stop, and what will be in the box when you open it!

You’ll see other types of trading opportunities in this forum as well. LIF stands for Lotto it Forward, which is where somebody is setting up a game with beer as the prize. The usual rules are that you’ve never had the beer they’re offering before, don’t have access to it, agree to review it, and will hold your own LIF in the future. I’ve seen stuff like “guess my daughter’s middle name”, “guess my favorite guitarist”, “guess how many miles I drove to Dark Lord Day”, and others.

GIF stands for Growler it Forward, which is exactly like BIF, but with growlers. They usually run these trades with assigned targets, so you know who you’re supposed to ship to and everybody ships around the same time.

There will also be Secret Santa and Secret Bunny opportunities, which are exactly like any other Secret Santa you may have been a part of, but with beer. You’ll be assigned a target, and have a shopping and shipping window to get your package out to your recipient.

Howard’s other articles in this series:

The Suds Swap Meet (1 of 5)

Beer Value and Ettiquette (2 of 5)

Getting Started (3 of 5)